£177,000 owed in unpaid water charges

NIW has 215 commercial customers across Londonderry and the level of debt owed by some of these firms stood at 177,464 over the past 12 months.

The Minister for Regional Development Conor Murphy outlined the details in response to a query at the Stormont Assembly.

The total amount of unpaid water charges owed by firms in Limavady stood at 165,079 and in Strabane at 67,496 over the same period.

Mr Murphy said he could not name individual companies as it would breach confidentiality protocol.

He stated: "I am advised by NIW that release of the information requested in relation to specific retail or commercial properties would breach its duty of confidentiality to its customers in respect of maintaining commercially sensitive information which they would have no expectation would be publicly disclosed without their consent.

"The reputations of those businesses concerned would be damaged if this information was disclosed and disclosure would likely be prejudicial to the commercial interests of those businesses.

"Information on the names of specific businesses is

therefore considered exempt under Section 43 'commercial interests of the Freedom of Information Act.'"